Just in time for the Halloween season, Playhouse 615 is presenting their production of playwright F. Andrew Leslie’s chilling adaptation of novelist Shirley Jackson’s classic frightmare, The Haunting of Hill House, inviting theatergoers into one of literature’s most haunted homes, brought to life on Playhouse 615’s stage under the direction of Joel Meriwether. As the cast prepared for their October 17 opening night, we caught up with four of the brave souls stepping into the supernatural—Lucy Turner, Preston Alexander Raymer, Andrea Coleman and James David West—for a Rapid Fire 20Q. From on-stage terror and off-stage frights to their thoughts on the show’s eerie subject matter, this fearsome foursome gives us a peek into the dark corners of Hill House itself. So, dim the lights, say your prayers and get ready because Hill House is watching…
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Rapid Fire 20Q with cast of Playhouse 615’s The Haunting of Hill House
Rapid Fire with Lucy Turner, Eleanor Vance in The Haunting of Hill House
JHPENTERTAINMENT: When Playhouse 615 reached out to me about doing a Rapid Fire 20Q with come of the cast of The Haunting of Hill House, and I saw your name, I knew I wanted to chat with you, remembering having seen you onstage when you were just a kid in local productions of Cindy & Ella and The Bad Seed. I understand in the years since, you graduated high school, studied at Baldwin Wallace and moved to New York. So…a two part questions to start us off…Are you back in Nashville for a while, or just a visit? AND…What can you tell me about Eleanor Vance, and your take on her?
LUCY TURNER: My plane ticket back home to New York is booked for literally the day we close the show! I’ve been in NYC for almost two years, but it’s such a large market that I still feel so fresh and new, which I like. Back in 2023 in my interim time I was home in between college and making the big move, I reunited with Joel for their production of The Woman in Black. I had such an amazing experience working with Joel that once I heard they were doing Hill House, I knew I had to throw my hat in the ring and come home for a brief stint.
As far as my take on Eleanor, it has been such a joy getting to know her. You rarely get to sink your teeth into a character that is truly so complex. I’m an avid reader, and originally read Shirley Jackson’s novel about a year and a half ago. I remember being so enthralled in Eleanor’s journey and her quick dissent into madness. She is a sheltered girl desperate for adventure and a place to call home and Hill House is more than happy to prey on that.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: According to the playwright’s original character breakdown of Eleanor Vance, she’s typically presented as a slightly older woman in her mid-to-late thirties. Was there any conversation with the show’s director, Joel Meriwether on the ten-year advance the character has on you?
LUCY TURNER: We had some conversation about the decision, but I think what’s more important than Eleanor’s precise age is that she feels ’fresh’; I’ve always thought of her as a ‘new soul’. A lot of my analysis stems from the women that occupy Hill House and what each of them represents in terms of the female experience. Eleanor, regardless of the description, must feel sheltered and naive to then juxtapose with the experience, wisdom, or bitterness of the other ladies of Hill House.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: OK, I mentioned earlier that you starred in The Bad Seed when you were what…thirteen? And I stumbled upon a certain SCREAM-themed birthday cake post while doing a little online sleuthing in preparation of our conversation. Is it safe to assume The Haunting of Hill House and the like is definitely in your wheelhouse?
LUCY TURNER: Haha, yes you can definitely say that Haunting of Hill House is in my wheelhouse. I was a very brave child and looked to horror movies and haunted houses as a challenge to see what could truly scare me. I also feel very inspired by the horror genre. I actually started a production company while in college, Burn to Shine Productions, that produces horror films. I’ve written and produced several shorts in the genre and find myself always drawn to it. When you look, horror is a wonderful gauge for where we are as a society in terms of what keeps us all up at night. You can say the same for Hill House, I can not wait for the audience to be terrified and to see them tremble at what we have in store, but this script is fraught with deeper meaning and the consequences of a repressed mind.
I also do need to correct you, Jonathan, I was freshly ten when I got to play Rhoda Penmark in Street Theatre’s Bad Seed, a role I still cherish to this day.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Ten? Wow…I stand corrected. What’s the biggest challenge in playing someone like Eleanor, who’s quite psychologically fragile?
LUCY TURNER: What I have found to be the biggest challenge in playing Eleanor is letting her feel everything she feels…which is a lot. Eleanor is loose with her emotions, they often come out of nowhere and are loud and consequential. I tend to be very withdrawn with my feelings, holding them close to the vest. It has been both challenging and freeing to just follow Eleanor’s lead in her emotional rollercoaster. I’ve learned to not ask her any questions.
In addition, I’ve grown fond of her and feel rather guilty about the whole thing. She enters Hill House with all the optimism and hope in the world. She is desperate for independence and adventure, leaving behind a sequestered life of abuse, but she learns quickly that’s not the way the world is set up for women. I have to break the news to Eleanor that all of the complicated emotions she feels (guilt, rage, envy) are a sort of trauma that do not get left behind at the welcome mat.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: If you had to spend the night in a real haunted house, which of your fellow cast mates would you want by your side?
LUCY TURNER: Honestly, I think I would pick Preston, who plays Luke, to accompany me. But I’d get away from him and start playing tricks and tormenting him the whole time. He scares easily.
Rapid Fire with Preston Alexander Raymer, Luke Sanderson in The Haunting of Hill House
JHPENTERTAINMENT: How would you describe Luke Sanderson in one sentence?
PRESTON ALEXANDER RAYMER: Luke is carefree, skeptical of the rumors about the house, and loves to tease those around him.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Instead of the typical actor bios seen in most playbills, for The Haunting of Hill House, the audience is treated to character bios. Did your director ask for any input in creating these? AND…What’s your favorite thing about the Luke bio?
PRESTON ALEXANDER RAYMER: The director allowed us creative freedom… “While others were captivated by these narratives, I hated them; their chilling nature haunted my thoughts and fed my fears. The relentless rumors and fear-driven tales spiraled into shadows that consumed me, ultimately leading me down a dark path toward alcoholism, seeking solace from the anxiety they instilled.”
I believe this is at the heart of Luke’s nature because the rumors about the house and his family have caused deeply rooted insecurities and trauma that have shaped his outlook on life. He masks these feelings, which is something I believe we, as humans, tend to do. This masking is what makes him human and relatable.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: So much of The Haunting of Hill House examines more than the fear of ghosts and spirits. What do you think Luke fears most?
PRESTON ALEXANDER RAYMER: Luke fears his reputation being overshadowed by rumors and reliving his childhood trauma.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: What can you tell me about the special effects, sound effects and lighting used to create the haunted ambiance of Hill House?
PRESTON ALEXANDER RAYMER: I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so one must attend the show to find out.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Joel has enlisted the aide of Jordan Ivie as assistant director/dramaturg. How has Jordan aided you in your exploration of Luke?
PRESTON ALEXANDER RAYMER: Jordan has been a guru of subtle nuances and character relations that have helped me navigate the complexities of Luke’s psyche.
Rapid Fire with Andrea Coleman, Mrs. Montague in The Haunting of Hill House
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Mrs. Montague’s entrance into Hill House seems to clue the audience into the fact that she feels she’s more spiritually connected than her husband. Would you say that’s a fair statement?
ANDREA COLEMAN: She certainly feels that way. Whether or not her abilities are genuine or fabricated, I’ll let the audience decide. Regardless of the accuracy of her methods, she definitely has a much more emotional approach.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: In preparation for this role, have you researched any real-life hauntings or binged any great ghostly movies or series?
ANDREA COLEMAN: I read The Haunting of Hill House book, which is pretty accurately represented by the play. I also watched The Haunting of Hill House series as well as The Haunting of Bly Manor – both excellent. I actually went on a scary movie binge and found some I really enjoyed! The Conjuring and all its many sequels and spin offs were some of my favorites.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: If you were to recast this production, using the same actors, how would you flip the roles?
ANDREA COLEMAN: I’m not sure I could! These actors feel tailor made for their roles and feel like everyone is so very well suited to their roles!
JHPENTERTAINMENT: As you’ve inhabited Mrs. Montague, have you created any backstory that might not be in the script, but that helps you bring the character to life on stage?
ANDREA COLEMAN: Absolutely, and I love to talk about it, though I would like to add a trigger warning that it involves difficult themes. Dr. And Mrs. Montague are currently suffering from a struggling marriage, but I believe they were once madly in love. Their marriage became strained when Mrs. Montague suffered the loss of a baby. Then again. And again. Loss after loss – hope brewed and then burned at the stake. Grief changes you, and I believe it changed both Dr. and Mrs. Montague in ways they don’t even realize and certainly would never admit. Dr. Montague poured himself into his work. He will make his life count by leaving an academic legacy, rather than a familial one. Mrs. Montague was alone in her grief. A kind of lonely that plays tricks on your mind and whispers enough lies that doubt slowly creeps in. Loneliness magnifies the grief, so she also dove into her husband’s line of work, looking for him, or at least a friend in the loneliness. There, she found not only Dr. Montague’s interests, but also companions in the no-longer-living; souls who ached just as much as she did. In them, she found familiarity in the pain and knew her legacy would be helping others ease their suffering where she could not ease her own. Along the way, she also found a moldable mind in Arthur that she could pour her love into – a pseudo son to fill the void in her heart left by her miscarriages and loneliness.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Is there a scene, a bit of dialogue or a moment within the play that you genuinely love to be part of each night?
ANDREA COLEMAN: My favorite line of dialogue is “The fire wants stirring.” This line
gives such imagery to the events happening in the play. The forces at work in Hill House are ready to be heard and set their stories ablaze.
Rapid Fire with James David West, Dr. Montague in The Haunting of Hill House
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Who is Dr. Montague to you and what interested you in the role?
JAMES DAVID WEST: Dr. Montague is an enigma, so to speak. He came from a humble background, somehow placed into an Ivy League school to get his doctorate in Psychology and Anthropology, has always been profoundly interested in the supernatural, and has made it his life’s goal to prove that ghosts are real, as it were. The role of Dr. M is normally played by someone a bit older than me, but I felt I had the right temperament to fit into the story. Our version is out to prove something, to make his mark on the scientific community. He wants notoriety. And yet, perhaps he has motives that aren’t so… apparent.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: When the house seems to show…shall we say…signs of life, how do you image Dr. Montague shows his fear?
JAMES DAVID WEST: Dr. Montague keeps his emotions in check, even under extreme pressure. During his time at Hill House, he recognizes that supernatural happenings are occurring around him… but he can’t show that he “didn’t know” things were going to happen. That is, until he stars being affected internally by the house, as well. His confidence melts off, leaving him perhaps even more vulnerable than his guests.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: In the world of Hill House, who’s more frightening Drew Ann Davis Borsos as Mrs. Dudley or the spirits that inhabit the house?
JAMES DAVID WEST: Dr. Montague is certain that Mrs. Dudley has no say so in the things that go bump in the night, but it is rather intriguing to observe her floating around without making a sound until she’s right up on you…
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Like a good Hitchcock film, it’s the unseen in The Haunting of Hill House that’s truly terrifying. What’s your personal favorite haunted moment in the play?
JAMES DAVID WEST: Without giving too much away, there is a point in the play where Dr. M begins to crack, himself. He isn’t quite sure WHY it is happening, but he is certain that the grasp he once had on Hill House has been forcibly removed by forces yet to be uncovered.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: What do you hope audiences take with them long after having seen The Haunting of Hill House?
JAMES DAVID WEST: Hill House, to me, represents a time in life we can all relate to. Some environments are inherently bad for us – they make us sick, depressed, and/or lonely. At times, we may even feel that we don’t belong – as if everyone and everything around us is screaming for us to leave and never come back. We may attempt to face those fears for as long as we can, but in the end we are at the mercy of the environment we have unfortunately chosen for ourselves, with next to no way to fully escape.
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Whether you believe in ghosts or not, one thing’s certain — the cast and crew of Playhouse 615’s The Haunting of Hill House are ready to deliver a spine-tingling experience audiences won’t soon forget. For tickets and showtimes CLICK HERE — but don’t wait too long. Hill House has a way of tormenting those who hesitate.
For more on the show and to keep up with what’s next at Playhouse 615, check out their website or follow them on Facebook.
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